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Building on protections established in the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, advocates said the bill — which lawmakers plan to file in the current legislative session — would require municipalities to provide language-related assistance to voters if their population comprises a certain percentage of people who speak English “less than very well.” It would also prohibit acts of intimidation that might prevent a voter from casting a ballot and create a program to require localities with a record of discrimination to gain the state’s approval before changing election-related policies.

"We shouldn’t settle for a mediocre right to vote early. Fourteen days of early voting should be the bare minimum the state legislature accepts. In our high cost state, hundreds of thousands of voters work jobs with inconvenient, unpredictable hours and long commutes, so it’s crucial that we include early morning, evening, and weekend hours. We also need to make sure voting sites are convenient and accessible, especially for people living with disabilities and in communities of color where voters often face longer lines on Election Day."

Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas made her first policy recommendation Thursday, urging legislators to pass a law authorizing 10 days of early voting, beginning with the 2023 municipal elections.

Republicans in the General Assembly have proposed legislation that would allow voters to force statewide balloting on selected issues, recall elected officials and create term limits for the governor. "These are not things that ever come out of committees here," Quickmire said. "Consider the time it takes to make anything happen that involves the Constitution. People have the ability to elect their direct representatives and make their point in that way. We at Common Cause are very interested in having as many people as possible participate in our elections, our government, to run for office, and be part of the process."

“Studies of states with early voting days on the Sunday before the election have found that the day that was by far the most popular early voting day for Black voters was those Sundays, showing that this is also a racial justice issue, making sure that whatever early voting plan we have is inclusive,” Zaccagnino said. Thomas said she has found broad consensus that some form of weekend voting should be included in the early voting period, though she had yet to settle on whether it should be the weekend immediately prior to an election, when local officials might be conducting necessary work between the close of an early voting period and Election Day.

Helen Humphreys, communications coordinator for the Connecticut Citizen Action Group, noted the biggest drawback of single-day voting is lack of access. She thinks cities will see direct benefits to adding early voting. "I've voted in Suffield, and I've voted in Bridgeport, and the experience was very different," Humphreys recounted. "In Suffield, you walk in and out; in Bridgeport, I waited in line for over an hour to vote. So, I think especially for those in cities and high population areas, this is going to be a huge benefit, because it will give them the opportunity to vote when they can."